Shannon Lights
Exhibition and artefact for Artist in Residence at Limerick Museum, 2025
This work was made during a residency at Limerick Museum as a response to items in the collection relating to the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme and the Limerick Fisheries, situating them in the context of a tradition whose demise began in 1925 with the construction of the hydroelectric infrastructure using water from the River Shannon.
The artistic output for exhibition is a subversive set of collectable cards and a cigarette box. These were inspired by an item uncovered in the museum’s collection - a set of collectable cigarette cards from the 1920s that commemorated the construction of the Shannon Scheme. Reflecting on the devastating impact of the newly constructed dams and canals, the artist began to consider other cultural expectations that were once seen as positive or progressive, but are now understood as harmful or destructive. Smoking, widely encouraged in the 1920s, is one such example. Today its damaging effects on the body are clear. The artist saw this as reflecting the long-term ecological and social consequences of harnessing the River Shannon. These 'Limerick Fisheries' collectable cards also serve to commemorate the Limerick Fisheries in the way the Shannon Scheme was commemorated and celebrated.
This work aims to create space for reflection and learning, providing clarity through hindsight to understand both the immediate and sustained impact of system-changing projects like the Shannon Scheme. Today, we can use hindsight derived from this project to challenge how government led, landscape-altering infrastructure projects can profoundly affect local communities and environments for future generations.